Fast Fibroid Fix
Ultrasound Surgery – No Cutting Necessary

Dr. King Li
Chair
Department of Radiology
The Methodist Hospital

For some women, learning they have uterine fibroids is a relief. They finally know what's causing painful and embarrassing symptoms such as pelvic pressure, heavy menstrual bleeding and constipation. And The Methodist Hospital has the newest noninvasive procedure that can quickly alleviate symptoms while leaving the uterus intact.

What Are Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous lumps on the uterus. "They are very common," says King Li, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology at The Methodist Hospital. "Up to 80 percent of women in their 30s and 40s develop uterine fibroids."

Not all women with fibroids have symptoms. But if the fibroids do cause symptoms, they may include:

• Heavy menstrual bleeding.
  
  
• Periods that last more than seven days.
  
  
• Pelvic and/or back pain.
  
  
• Frequent urination and/or constipation.

"Some fibroids grow so large that women look pregnant," Dr. Li says. "Fibroids may shrink after menopause when the body produces lower hormone levels."

What Causes Fibroids?
No one knows exactly what causes fibroids. However, research suggests some links. "The risk of developing fibroids is two to three times greater for women who are extremely overweight," Dr. Li says.

Eating habits can also be a factor. "Some clinicians think that women who eat red meat or ham frequently have a higher risk of developing symptoms with fibroids," Dr. Li says. "And women who eat a lot of green vegetables have less chance of developing symptoms, but these observations have not been proven."

There are also factors you cannot control. "African American women are three to four times more likely to have fibroids than Caucasian women," Dr. Li says. "Asian women also have a higher risk."

Clear Diagnoses
If you have troublesome symptoms, your doctor will feel for masses on the uterus during a pelvic exam. If he or she suspects you have fibroids, you may have an imaging test, such as an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

"Years ago if your doctor suspected fibroids, he or she may have made an incision to look for fibroids," Dr. Li says. "Today, imaging tests give us clear views and help us suggest appropriate treatments without any cutting."

Focused Ultrasound Surgery
Women who suffer from fibroid symptoms have a range of solutions to choose from at The Methodist Hospital — from hysterectomy that removes the uterus and myomectomy that removes just the fibroid(s) to medications and outpatient procedures that shrink fibroids. "Treatment choices depend on the woman, her lifestyle and the size of the fibroid," Dr. Li says.

The Methodist Hospital also offers a totally noninvasive treatment called MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (FUS). "It's called surgery, but FUS uses no cutting at all," Dr. Li says. "Instead it uses a high-intensity ultrasound — similar to a magnifying glass focusing light onto one spot. Instead of focusing light, we concentrate the ultrasound on the fibroid to heat it up and cause it to die."

Patients are sedated during the painless procedure, which takes about three hours. "You come out of sedation, and you go home," Dr. Li says. "Some women go back to work the next day. They are absolutely amazed at how quickly their symptoms
go away."

For more information on MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery (FUS), call The Methodist Hospital's Radiology Services at 866-321-6637.